Tasted El Rey's Gran Saman here the other day and I find the taste of mould (mold) is quite prominent. Maybe too much. Anyone who feels the same way?

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alex_h

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March 11, 2005 - 3:04 pm

what kind of mold? like french cheese or like something died in the fridge? can you describe it better? or is it more like mushrooms, like domori puertofino?
haven't come across that taste in el rey.

legodude

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March 11, 2005 - 3:09 pm

Like "something that has died in the fridge", yes. Nice description, Alex. My wife thougth the chocolate was bad. I think it had too much of it.

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Sebastian

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March 11, 2005 - 4:24 pm

Perhaps it had been stored adjacent to something foul. A couple of weeks in a musty hold of a ship would absolutely kill any chocolate.

Martin Christy

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March 11, 2005 - 8:30 pm

Just tried some of the same batch, and I can identify the note, but I wouldn't say it is off, just typical of El Rey (a little 'earthy', like some organic bars). Then again I have a head cold right now so maybe in a few days I'll know more.

Well, fungi has been known to grow on cacao trees, and recent studies even indicate that some fungi produce microbes called "endophytes" that help ward off pathogens in the cacao tree.

But actually, no, I have yet to taste mold in any El Rey, although it has been a long time since I've had some, with the exception of Icoa. Might be a case of batch difference, perhaps, if the mold is not present in other bars. Or, of course, improper storage.

legodude

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March 12, 2005 - 8:21 am

Tasted it again today, and then it was not as prominent as yesterday. Purhaps the taste have escaped the package now? Tried the Apamate as well, and it is there too. I guess it is ok then. Purhaps more interesting than good? How is the Rio Caribe?

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Hans-Peter Rot

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March 12, 2005 - 4:20 pm

Ah, might be inherent in the chocolate. I need to get some more to taste for myself now; you got me interested. Haven't tried the Rio Caribe yet. Only two of them are available here, Irapa and Cariaco, but Macuro I have not seen yet. It would be nice if El Rey made these into bar format, to expand on their bar line. It might be a worthwhile venture for them

legodude

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March 14, 2005 - 2:42 pm

Could be interesting to try the Rio Caribe Cariaco, even if it is only 60% cacao. What is the Macuro you are mentioning? Could not find any info of it on their website.

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Hans-Peter Rot

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March 14, 2005 - 4:13 pm

Macuro is a 70% chocolate, with roughly the same fat content as Apamate and the same sugar level as Gran Saman. When you go to El Rey's site, scroll down and click on "Product Descriptions & Technical Data." Then, on the new page, scroll down until you just see "Techninal Data." The properties of each chocolate will be listed there.

legodude

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March 14, 2005 - 7:28 pm

Thanks, Monte!

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